Is this a scam? — Zain Jaafil, Orange County unclaimed property outreach

What this is

I cross-referenced California's public unclaimed property records against organizations with Orange County addresses, then checked those names against IRS tax-exempt records. Your organization showed up as owed money that the state is currently holding. I emailed you because I found no evidence anyone had filed a claim for it, and unclaimed property doesn't get returned on its own. It has to be claimed.

Who I am

Zain Jaafil. Senior at Legacy Magnet Academy, Tustin, California. This was a personal project, not work for a company or a firm.

What I don't do

I charge no fee, ever.
I never handle or receive the money.
I never file a claim on anyone's behalf.
I ask for no personal information.

Anyone asking you to pay to recover this property is not connected to me. The state does not charge a fee to return your own organization's money either.

Where the data comes from

California unclaimed property, full public file sco.ca.gov/upd_download_property_records.html
IRS tax-exempt organization records, bulk data irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search-bulk-data-downloads
Official state claim portal, run by the Controller's Office claimit.ca.gov

All three are public government sources. None of this required access to anything private.

How the matching worked

Downloaded the State Controller's full unclaimed property file.
Filtered it down to addresses in Orange County cities.
Grouped the individual records by organization name, since the same organization often has money sitting under several separate records.
Cross-referenced each organization against IRS records to check current tax-exempt status.
Flagged organizations whose exempt status had been revoked. Those need to reinstate their status with the IRS before they can file a claim.

What I found

Orange County records over $500: 278,514
Total value of those records: $856,379,274
Organizations matched: 1,681
Verified active nonprofits found so far: 32
Amount owed to those 32: $65,709
Verified with revoked exempt status: 30

The 1,681 figure includes homeowners associations, businesses, and public agencies, not only nonprofits. The 32 and 30 figures are the ones verified against IRS records.

The revoked organizations show up in the state's file with money owed, but their IRS exempt status has lapsed. They'd need to reinstate that status before the state will release a claim.

Claim it without me

Don't take my word for it. Search your organization's name directly at claimit.ca.gov, the state's own portal. It's free, and I'm not involved in that process at any point.

Not affiliated

I'm not connected to the California State Controller's Office or the County of Orange. This was independent research using public data.